Seo, associate dean for curation services and associate professor in the University Library, will have the opportunity to explore a personal/professional area of interest in a group setting with other future library leaders. Participants will construct a learning plan, have access to mentors and attend focused weeklong institutes at sponsor libraries, University of Florida, The George Washington University and the University of Iowa.

“I hope that exposure to new things peer institutions are pursuing, diverse higher education perspectives, and campus dynamics will broaden my understanding and improve my ability to support the future direction of our library as an advocate and leader,” Seo said. “The climate on campuses changes with its leadership, and being able to fit into the broader university conversations and effectively represent the library during difficult times and times of growth are imperative for our library to be continuously recognized as a key partner in the success of the university.”

The seventh group selected for the program, 2018-19 Fellows will contribute ideas and feedback to allow for the enhancement of activities for future cohorts. Program activities begin in February and culminate at the April 2019 Association Meeting.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.

The Iowa State University Library advances the university’s academic excellence and land-grant mission by collecting and preserving world knowledge for its faculty, staff, students and community; by teaching the information literacy skills that enable researchers at all levels to identify, access and use high-quality information; and by actively participating in the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge, research and creative activity, to energize and empower its users toward creating a vital future for the state of Iowa and the world.